Phonics

Phonics is the relationship between letters and sounds in language. It is what tells us that the letter P makes the /p/ sound and that “tion” is pronounced /shun/. Written language is a code, and phonics is the key to deciphering the code.

Why is Phonics Instruction Important?

Understanding the association of sounds to letters enables readers to decode (sound out) and encode (write) words they encounter. Along with phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics lays the foundation for language mastery. For some students, phonics is intuitive and comes naturally. For struggling readers and children with dyslexia, working memory issues, or other learning disabilities, it is more difficult to crack the language code.

How We Teach Phonics at Syllables Learning Center

At Syllables Learning Center, our reading tutors introduce sounds and phonics systematically and explicitly using an Orton-Gillingham based approach. During our one-on-one tutoring sessions, we work through each of the 44 sounds in the English language and develop an understanding of the correlation of these sounds to letters and letter combinations – leading to fluent reading, spelling, and writing.